Performance of a cleaning product, for use in washing or cleaning method, is judged by a number of factors, including the ability to remove soils, and the ability to prevent the redeposition of the soils, or the breakdown products of the soils on the articles in the wash.
Many consumer relevant stains contain proteinic components and are difficult to remove from the washed surfaces. Food stains originating from dairy products as such, like milk or egg, or processed within food or drink products, are particularly challenging to remove.
In addition, the complex nature of everyday "body" soils typically found on pillow cases, T-shirts, collars and socks, provides a continuous thorough cleaning challenge for detergents. These soils are difficult to remove completely and often residues build up on fabric leading to dinginess and yellowing. Moreover, body fluids stains, such as blood and menstrual fluids, are often difficult to remove effectively from a soiled item, especially when the stains have been ageing. Everyday body soils are also found on sanitary and kitchen surfaces such as bathtubs, toilet bowl and dishware.
The items can be fabrics, hard surfaces, dishware such as plasticware, glassware or chinaware, teeth and mouth.
Traditionally, protease enzymes and/or high levels of bleaching compounds, optionally with bleach precursors and/or bleach enhancers, are incorporated in cleaning compositions. Bleaching agents are compounds which are precursors of hydrogen peroxide which is formed in the course of the washing procedure. Perborates and percarbonates are the most important examples of such hydrogen peroxide precursors.
In view of the above, there exits clearly a continuous need to provide cleaning compositions which have an excellent detergency performance. Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning composition which provides effective and efficient cleaning of proteic based stains and/or soils such as protein containing food stains/soils and everyday body soils. It is a further object to provide a cleaning composition which provides fabric realistic items cleaning and whitening.
The above objective has been met by formulating cleaning compositions comprising a proteinic substrate based oxygenase.
It has been surprisingly found that an enzymatic bleach system based on a proteinic substrate based oxygenase delivers in a cleaning composition, bleach-like benefits in an unexpected broad range of performance areas such as dingy cleaning, whiteness maintenance and stain removal. It has also been found that the cleaning compositions of the present invention provide sanitisation of the treated surfaces.
It has been further found that the performance of the cleaning compositions of the present invention is improved by the addition of another enzymatic bleach system, a conventional activated bleach system, a metallo catalyst based bleach system and/or another detergent enzyme, especially a protease.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to a laundry composition comprising a proteinic substrate based oxygenase, further providing fabric realistic items cleaning and whitening. In a second embodiment, the present invention relates to dishwashing or household cleaning compositions comprising a proteinic substrate based oxygenase and in a third embodiment, the present invention relates to oral/dental care compositions comprising a proteinic substrate based oxygenase.
The use of a proteinic substrate based oxygenase in a cleaning composition for substantive removal of proteic based stains/soils such as protein containing food stains/soils and everyday body soils and for sanitisation, has never been previously recognised. Nor have been recognised the substantive fabric realistic items cleaning and whitening performance when the proteinic substrate based oxygenase is used within a laundry detergent composition.